2020 Articles

June 2020

If we're perfectly honest about it, we anglers are all guilty of what I like to call Hamster Wheel Syndrome (HWS). Because we spend far more time on the water than any sane human being ever would, we've come to realize that fish respond best to things that they've never seen before. It's precisely t...

April 2020

With boat ramps closed in many areas as a result of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, spring fishing options in some parts of the country are more restricted than usual. Thankfully there are still some terrific opportunities for anglers looking to wet a line, and that includes enjoying some of the b...

Winter has released its icy grip and lakes, reservoirs and rivers are once again open for springtime fishing. And that means prime time for panfish, especially crappies and bluegills as they make their migration from deeper waters into the shallows before the annual spawn.
We talked with several...

I never gave sunglasses much thought. I always bought an expensive pair of polarized sunglasses for fishing, so I believed that I was using the best. After sending the sunglasses back multiple times under a "lifetime warranty" and paying $11.95 each time for the repair, I finally realized that there...

While it's always rewarding to persevere through tough conditions and come up with a decent catch at the end of the day, I don't always want fishing to be an uphill battle. Sometimes, it's nice to have everything click into place and enjoy some easy action.
Maybe that's a reason I'm such a big fa...

It's springtime, and open water has arrived throughout all but the uppermost reaches of North America. For walleye anglers, it's a yearly ritual that's hard to beat. Hordes of fish are heading to pre-spawn and spawn locations, bringing on some of the best bites of the entire year  especially in som...

There are lots of things to love about early season walleye fishing! For one, spring walleye angling often signals the return of open water fishing for another year. And, walleyes in the spring are often aggressive biters and easily accessible in fairly shallow water.
Another thing that I rea...

March 2020

Spring of 2020 officially arrived on March 19. In some areas anglers still see ice on their favorite lakes and ponds, but that ice will soon be disappearing. In other areas, anglers are already fishing in open water. Spring is a wonderful time to go fishing, and we can make it even more wonderful...

I will never forget my first experience with early season panfish on a lake that had super clear water. It changed the way I approached early season angling forever.
The small, isolated bay we had selected to fish looked like an ideal spot for early season panfish. It was protected by cattails on...

Black crappies are one of my favorite fish to catch, and for a number of reasons. They're usually willing biters, and that's important in the early spring when you haven't been out on open water in a couple of months and really want to just unwind and enjoy some fast action. They're also incredibly ...

Some specific States and Provinces have open walleye seasons during the late ice period. These fisheries offer tremendously fun ice fishing opportunities. I love catching walleye any day of the year but what I love about late ice walleyes is the level of aggressiveness. Patterns and locations can...

February 2020

Throughout the Midwest, the back-end of winter can be a frustrating time of year for anglers. By the second half of February ice fishing tends to slump, as fish disperse throughout lake systems with no real reason to concentrate anywhere. That hot first-ice action is by now a memory, yet the furious...

When we go out on the ice in search of fish to catch through the ice, much of the time, we just want to get bit. If the perch want to eat our bait that's good: If a walleye or crappie is in the mood, that's a good thing too. Walleyes and crappies and perch are certainly different fish, but one lu...

Electric motors have always been a little strange in the way that technological developments seem to come in waves. The reality is that not much happened with electrics for years, then in the late 1980s and early 90s everyone suddenly had electronic steering as an alternative to the traditional cabl...

We've all heard the phrase "size matters" but how often do we think about that when we're out on the ice?
The simple reality is, using the right sized baits can make or break a day of fishing faster than anything else, and that's especially true when you're out on the ice. In fact, I'd bet that b...

January 2020

One of the great things about ice fishing is that it gives us all a chance to slow down and take stock of the things that really matter. While catching big fish is always a thrill, the true joy in getting out is just in enjoying a nice day in the outdoors and having fun by catching a few fish. That'...

You can't quit looking. It's as simple as that. Hard water fish that aren't located where you expected them to be can create some location issues. Sometimes, you just need to find an alternate location where the fish are biting.
This is the message I kept telling myself as an unusual winter began...